A multitude of instruments are used in the field of medicine, which include a proximal handle with one or more electrical switches arranged on the handle. Amongst these are video endoscopes, for example, with which several electric switches are arranged on a housing which connects proximally to a shank and which also serves as a handle. For example, picture representation parameters can be changed with these switches. With the application of video-endoscopes, it is often necessary to rotate the endoscope about the longitudinal axis of its shank. The position of the switches arranged on the housing of the endoscope relative to the endoscope user compellingly changes by way of such a rotation of the video endoscope. Under certain circumstances, this can result in the user of the video endoscope having to change his grip position on the housing, or having to use both hands, in order to actuate the switches. This renders the operation of video endoscopes quite awkward.
Against the above background, it is an objective of a preferred embodiment of the present invention to provide a medical instrument with which electrical switches arranged on a proximal handle can be easily actuated independently of a rotational position of the instrument or of the handle.